Waste Allocation Load Lifters Earth-class

I confess, I'm not very up to date on popular culture. I rarely turn on my television and even less frequently go to a movie theater. My car would sport a "Kill your TV" bumper sticker if I could get my hands on one. However, I recently heard about a movie called WALL-E. It is a PIXAR film and it is a must see for urban planners, garderners, and for anyone who cares about cities.

The movie is about what happens when we take control of our lives and plant gardens. WALL-E is actually a trash compactor. Humans no longer live on earth due to all of the trash,debris,and pollution and WALL-E has been left behind to clean up the mess. One day WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifters Earth-class)stumbles upon a small plant and puts it into an old boot. Shortly thereafter a spaceship lands on earth, and Eve, a probe steps off. WALL-E shows her the plant and she takes it back to her ship. Next thing you know people begin to return to earth and they start planting gardens.

Granted I take issue with the Garden of Eden metaphors, but overall the movie is about how growing food transforms people and the communities they live in. If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend it.

Rusty Waters Apparel

Congratulations to Rusty Waters Apparel ! Today in the New York Times, there is an awesome article about T-shirts and city pride.

In the article, Catrin Einhorn writes about both GLUE, the Great Lakes Urban Exchange and Youngstown's Rusty Waters Apparel. GLUE is a new group dedicated to bringing post-boomers together to work for the health of post-industrial cities in the Great Lakes Region and Rusty Waters Apparel is a clothing company from Youngstown, Ohio.

Rusty Waters Apparel was started a few years ago by Dominic Gatti, Adam Chizmar and Kate Butler. The purpose of their T-shirt company is to promote life in rust belt cities and to bring attention to the cultural strengths of the rust belt region.

The New York Times article describes in some depth the Rusty Waters Apparel design that depicts the upside down Home Savings and Loan building located in downtown Youngstown. The article also quotes designer Kate Butler's explanation of the symbolism of the shirt, "The fact that it's upside down signifies the struggle that Youngstown has gone through, but the birds are flying right side up, symbolizing hope."

Einhorn points out that the T-shirt makers know that their merchandise will not cure the deep-seated problems of their cities, however they do see the marketing of the designs as a way to fight against powerful stereotypes. The T-shirt makers also see the designs as part of a public relations campaign for their cities, often one more authentic that official public relations campaigns.

I think I'm going to order another one for myself now before demand exceeds supply!

Where is SynchroniCity?

Where is SynchroniCity? It is a city anywhere, it is Anytown USA, and it is Youngstown and Warren, Ohio, cities well known for independent music. It is also home to RuKus Radio, a radio station that brings you some of the best independent music available today, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Music is uploaded by independent musicians everywhere, but nothing beats hearing our Youngstown bands on the radio.

The gang at RuKus Radio have a passion for freedom of expression and they take great joy in celebrating independent music through the discovery and promotion of artists at all levels of success and from all corners of the world free-of-charge. RuKus Radio is an awesome alternative to average radio programing. They utilize the constant flow of advancing technology to deliver an all-encompassing hybrid of media via Internet radio, live recordings, broadcasts, and streaming video. RuKus Radio has been streaming live since January 1, 2008. Take a visit to SynchroniCity, you'll never want to leave. While you are there introduce yourself to Moe and Sarah at the RuKus forum.

Summer in the City - First Annual Downtown Dash

Thursday evening was the first annual Downtown Dash. If you didn't make it I am so sorry. My good friend over at Youngstown Renaissance said, "He needs to get out more." I say if you weren't there,so do you, and I hope you don't make that mistake again as there are plenty of events happening in the city this summer. Make sure you check out Phil Kidd's continually updated list of events and I'll see you next time.

The Dash was exhilarating and the weather was perfect. It was an evening journey that started at 5:00 PM with registration. It was here that the hosts of the event provided buttons, maps, and coupons for discounted drinks,and sent you on your way to the fifteen participating bars and restaurants. The goal was to make it to every single one of them throughout the evening, imbibe in a drink of your choice, have someone from the establishment mark your map to indicate that you had actually been there, and at the evening's end claim the coveted prize of a Downtown Dash T-shirt.

A limo was available to transport everyone from place to place. It made rounds about every twenty minutes, traveling from downtown to the Royal Oaks on the east side, back to the north side campus establishments, onward to Charlie Staples,the Box Car Lounge by the B & O Station, and once again back to downtown. As Phil Kidd stated to the Vindicator, "Every bar was full and the shuttle was running.". The streets of the city were flowing with people, laughter was in the air, music was in the streets from Jones Revival and The Zou, and there were celebratory fireworks.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Synchronicity

Odd how things work around here. A friend of mine sent me a link to a slide show created by Sean Posey and as I was looking through the photos I recognized a church that another friend of mine, Chris Barzak, had written about in his book One for Sorrow. The church is located by YSU and I'm told that it is was the first church in the area. It is in poor condition and I would love to see the building saved. However, that is a story for another day.

I want to share with you a slide show that depicts our ruins in all of their glory.
In the decay there is much beauty. I,for one, believe that by looking and perceiving the ruins through a lens of creativity there will be new birth. Sean Posey has not only captured the beauty of the place, but he has somehow managed to imbue his photos with the emotional strength and courage of the people who reside here though people are are not his subject matter, and are not found within the frames of the photographs. Click here to view the show.

After viewing his work I contacted Sean Posey to find out his connection to Youngstown. He told me that his family is from Youngstown and that they left in the 80's. He is currently a freelance photo journalist working from San Francisco. Sean is drawn to our area and is currently planning a fine art/documentary project on the rust belt in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. I will keep you posted about the upcoming show dates and locations,

The Stambaugh Building boarded up - What's wrong with this picture?

Last week there was an incident in downtown Youngstown at the Stambaugh Building. The Business Journal indicates that workmen were in the process of removing some windows from the building when a window fell from the structure to the parking lot below. The Stambaugh Building has now had over 100 windows removed. The stated reason is that the windows were dangerous and leaky so the developers (Lou Frangos)decided to remove the windows from the historic building.


The Stambaugh Building has a long and historic past. It was designed by Albert Kahn, one of Detroit's most important architects in neo-classical revival design. The building started out as a Euwers Department Store which was one of first department stores to incorporate a restaturant. After the store moved the building became an office building that was later to house Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co., and Standard Slag.

It is a travesty that the windows have been removed from this historic landmark. There is little that is more discouraging than a drive through our downtown only to look up at one of its most prominent buildings to see that the windows have been replaced by plywood. The citizens of Youngstown will not stand for this. The windows must be replaced and very soon. For an ongoing story about the issue go to Shout Youngstown.The Shout Youngstown blog also has links to local talk show radio programs where the issue of the windows is discussed, as well as video of the site. The Reason Blog on the Vindy site has also posted an article about the problem and is asking for comments to be posted. Also please sign this petition demanding that the city take action against the owner/developer of this building.

The citizens of Youngstown are not the kind to just sit passively by while a developer systematically destroys our city. We are an action oriented type of people. In keeping with that fine tradition an action plan has been proposed to the city of Youngstown about the stabilization of the Stambaugh Building. A draft if this proposal may be found a Youngstown Renaissance

What is happening here is demolition by neglect. This term is used to describe a situation in which a historic property is intentionally allowed to suffer from deterioration, potentially beyond the point of repair. Property owners many times engage in this type of affirmative strategy of neglect to circumvent historic preservation regulations. Here, in Youngstown, it appears that the owner of the Stambaugh Building has this in mind. He has told the press that he believes that the building is a lost cause.

The issue of demolition by neglect is becoming a nationwide concern. It is one of the most serious problems affecting the fabric of our historic neighborhoods and cities. The most important tool for controlling demolition by neglect is to pass a carefully drafted city ordinance that requires affirmative maintenance. This ordinance should apply to not only historical buildings but also those buildings that are determined by the city to be significant or contributory to the overall community. Although Youngstown has a design and review committee that addresses the issues of restoration and repair, there does not appear to be an ordinance regarding demolition by neglect.

Such an ordinance might read like this one:

The owner, lessee,or other person in actual charge of a significant or contributory building shall comply with all applicable codes, laws, and regulations governing the maintenance of property. It is the intent of this law to preserve from deliberate, intentional, or inadvertent neglect the exterior features of buildings designated significant or contributory, and the interior portions thereof when such maintenance is necessary to prevent deterioration and decay of the exterior. All such buildings shall be preserved against such decay and deterioration and shall be free from structural defects through prompt corrections of any of the following defects:
1. Facades which may fall and injure members of the public or property.
2. Deteriorated or inadequate foundation, defective or deteriorated flooring or floor supports, deteriorated walls or other vertical structural supports.
3. Members of ceilings, roofs, ceiling and roof supports or other horizontal members which sag, split or buckle due to defective material or deterioration.
4. Deteriorated or ineffective waterproofing of exterior walls, roofs, foundations, or floors, including broken windows or doors.
5. Defective or insufficient weather protection for exterior wall covering, including lack of paint or weathering due to lack of paint or other protective covering.
6. Any fault or defect in the building which renders it not properly watertight or structurally unsafe.

It is also important that this provision come equipped with adequate remedies and enforcement authority. In addition a legal course of action for assessing whether or not demolition by neglect is actually occurring must be developed.

This criteria could potentially include:

1. Identification by the building code inspectors or third parties that a potential problem exists followed-up by an inspection to determine the condition of the building.
2. The findings should then be presented at a public hearing to a Commission set up for this purpose. A report detailing the defects in the building would be presented and the owner given thirty days to respond to the preliminary determination by providing a document detailing the specific work which is necessary to correct the "Demolition by Neglect" conditions and a time limit proposed for starting and completing the work.
3. If the owner fails to respond the matter would then be referred to the Commission for a citation hearing. If after appropriate notices are sent and the owner fails to respond, the building is posted with a notice of the violation in accordance with the provision of the Demolition by Neglect Ordinance and another public hearing called.
4. At the public hearing the owner is given an opportunity to show cause. The Commission would vote regarding whether the citation for Demolition by Neglect is appropriate.
5. If the owner fails to correct the problem or take steps to correct the problem within ten days the matter is turned over to the City Attorney's Office for action in Civil Court.
6. In addition to civil actions against the owner/owners misdemeanor criminal penalties should apply and be strictly enforced. These would include a criminal fine of $150.00 for the first offense. Whoever is convicted of a second violation for a second or subsequent offense within a period of two years from the date of the next prior conviction would be guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree and shall be fined $250.00 or imprisoned for thirty days or both. Each day of the violation would constitute a separate offense.

Please provide your thoughts and concerns about such a ordinance and provision by commenting on this blog.

Obsessive Branding Disorder

Dear Readers:

I apologize for failing to post in the last couple of weeks. Life has been incredibly hectic and of course the growing season in Youngstown Ohio has commenced. There is a great deal of work to be done both at the Fairgreen Garden at the corner of Fairgreen and Ohio Avenue on the North Side, and at the Common Ground located at Broadway and Kensington. I won't even mention all of the work that needs to be done in my raised vegetable beds in the back yard. If you're looking to work outside in the fresh air e-mail us at Grow Youngstown or at Treez Please. So enough excuses, I promise I will try to do better. I have, of course, had many ideas for posts and research that I want to write about and I promise sometime this summer I will get there.


For now, however, I want to tell about an important book that has recently been publilshed called Obsessive Branding Disorder. The book is written by a friend of mine named Lucas Conley. Okay,I know that just because he is my friend that doesn't make his book a worthwhile read, but it is, take my word for it.

Luke began his career at the Atlantic Monthly and was a contributing writer for Fast Company. His work has also appeared in the Boston Globe, The Huffington Post and ESPN: The Magazine. A couple of years ago when I first met Luke he was just starting to write the book and we had some interesting conversations about branding. At the time I had no idea how important the subject of branding would become in my work to revitalize the city of Youngstown.

In recent months there has been quite a bit of conversation in the Y-town blogopshere about whether or not branding is something that we should even consider in Youngstown. I,for one, believe, that as Luke points out, everything is branded and whether or not we like that idea, if we don't chose our brand, then someone else will. In the case of Youngstown we have already been negatively branded as "mob town". It is time for us to change that brand to a more positive one.

In the book Obsessive Branding Disorder, Luke points out that in today's brand saturated culture, everything and everyone is susceptible to OBD (Obsessive Branding Disorder). He points out that even snow, oxygen, water,and dirt are branded,. It seems no matter how ubiquitous the "product", today's marketers will brand it. Essentially everything from celebrities to branding itself comes in various branded flavors. I have learned that there is such a thing as primal branding, passion branding, profit branding, and pirate branding. Who knew?

He explains that at their most elemental, brands serve as mental shortcuts to broader concepts. He points out that originally brands rose from the bottom up, founded on quality of products and services. Now the reverse is true: products and services are subject to top-down branding. And while brands are meant to offer clarity, the intent in today's markets is just the opposite.

In spite of this however, the book points out, that brands and branding are unavoidable byproducts of how we live. It is his Luke's hope that by pointing out the nature of branding in today's culture we may be able to gain a better perspective of brands' natural place in our lives and reclaim some of the order we've lost in the frenzy of branding that surrounds us.

Luke has mentioned that it is ironic that in order to publish the book he had to engage in branding himself. However,in the spirit of building the brand from the ground up, he welcomes questions, comments, and suggestions. So please feel free to contact him via his website: Obsessive Branding Disorder

His point is well taken and in the same spirit I think Youngtown's brand should be built from the bottom up. If you have suggestions please leave a comment on this blog.

Documentary about Youngstown - Filmed Now on Location

I am so excited about the news! The Vindicator has announced that shooting will begin this week on a documentary about Youngstown. Ray "Boom" "Boom" Mancini and Jim Napoli are producing it. Their plan is to show the city as a fighter. The film crew will make forays into the community this week to find Youngstowners in their element - so look out folks! Mancini calls it "guerrilla film making."

For anyone who has ever dreamt of being in the movies you may have the chance to be caught on film if you make your way to the city. While here, make sure you check out the new Taft Technology Center,. For a glimpse check it out at Youngstown Pride.

Make sure you walk by the revived Davis Building, and have something to eat or drink at one of our fine eateries, awesome bars, or clubs. In the event you just want to be out on the streets,in hopes that the camera will find you there, just stop by and get an ice cream cone at Touch the Moon Candy Saloon, then wander around, chillout,and enjoy the spring.

As of late I have been reading a book called "Destination Branding for Small Cities". It is written by Bill Baker. He defines destination branding as the totality of perceptions, thoughts and feelings that people have about a a place. He states that, "Destination branding is an organizing principle that involves orchestrating the messages and experiences associated with the place to ensure that they are as distinctive, compelling, memorable, and rewarding as possible."

His theory is that many small cities need to develop a brand strategy in order to overcome dated, confusing, or inaccurate images. Youngstown has clearly suffered from an inaccurate image and it is time to fix that problem and change the perceptions of our fine city in the minds of people near and far. The way to do that is to attract more visitors to our downtown and also revitalize the interest of area residents in the entertainment and recreational values of Youngstown. (You really have no idea what you've been missing if you haven't been downtown in a while. I suggest you hang out after work on a Friday night instead of making a dash back to the suburbs.)

The new urban pioneers living in Youngstown are well aware of the exciting things happening in the city, Mancini's documentary will now get the word spread far and wide. Mancini gets it -and Pavlik gets it, and Defend Youngstown gets it - Youngstown folks don't give up - they get up...and what's more they have a helluva lot of fun while doing it. I don't exactly know how to convert this fact into a "brand" per se, but I'm working on it. I'm going to continue reading about the branding of cities and think about it some more. If you have any ideas or thoughts about this please share them with me by commenting on the blog.

How to Save a City - The Greening of Youngstown

Thanks to Jaci Clark for taking most of these fabulous photos.









The Common Ground at Kensington and Broadway on Youngstown's North Side

It's spring and Defend Youngstown found a great post at Celsias about the Greening of Youngstown. I'm thrilled that the "Grey to Green" message of the 2010 plan is spreading far and wide. Meanwhile, this past Saturday, Treez Please planted several hundred trees at the Common Ground. Throughout the day about thirty men, women, and a lot of kids showed up to help. Treezers hope to foster the trees until we find happy homes for them. In the fall we will convert the space into a wild flower meadow.

Also, June 7, 2008 Youngstown CityScape will be having it's 11th annual Streetscape from 8:00 am until 12 noon. Everyone will be meeting at 20 Federal Plaza W. Youngstown,OH 44503. Priority areas for this year's event are: The Wick Park Area;Flower pots along West and East Federal Streets; the oval historic monument in the middle of Market Street and Wick Avenue; The Garden Bunker on the corners of East Federal, Boardman and Champion Street. The stairway that connects Wood Street to Commerce; Gateways into downtown; Smoky Hollow Memorial maintenance and plantings; Hillside between Wood and Commerce Street; and enhancement of the landscape on Walnut Street, Wood Street, and City Hall. For more information contact (330) 742-4040.
[where:20 Federal Plaza West Youngstown OH 44503]